The Circle of Life
by Ducky the most evil Swimmer
Summary: After the rapid loss of both grandparents, Littlefoot is feeling terrible and leaving his mate Ali alone to tend to their eggs. It is only through Ali's efforts that he learns the true meaning of the Circle of Life.


"**Write a story about sacred beliefs or traditions, involving any one of the Gang's families."**

**I was participating in a prompt exchange project and was randomly assigned the above prompt. Here is a short story about the almighty Circle of Life :) **

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**The Circle of Life**

The Great Valley was a wonderful place to live. Ever since first discovering it with the unlikely bunch of dinosaurs whom he still called his best friends to this date, he had lived here with his grandparents happily and in peace and harmony. Well, of course there had been harsh times as well but the dinosaurs of the Great Valley were known to be a horde that bickered and argued about anything silly during times of peace but stood as firm as the Great Wall itself when the situation required it. It was a land of abundant water and food too thanks to the big river spawning the huge, cascading Thundering Waterfalls. It was a true paradise in midst of some of the most hostile parts of the Mysterious Beyond.

Littlefoot had since grown into a fine young adult and his love for the Valley was so pronounced that he would start his own life within the realms of this green paradise as well. What had been nothing but a silly childhood crush had turned into a loving relationship once the Time of Great Growing had hit him and his friends. Once old enough to make the decision, Ali had abandoned her herd to join Littlefoot and live in the Great Valley which was arguably a far better place to live than migrating from one place to another, never staying too long, never knowing when the next source of water or food would come in reach. Neither of the two fancied such a lifestyle, not if there was the tranquility of the Great Valley as a viable option.

Many things had happened since then and, at last, Littlefoot saw himself confronted with a whole new chapter of his life. Even though he had been taught well by his grandparents (and the same could be said about Ali), it still struck him as a surprise when one morning Ali mentioned something so wonderful and strange that it almost seemed too good to be true.

Eggs. Littlefoot would be a father very soon and the very thought of it still befuddled him greatly. So recent, after all, it seemed when he was still a child himself, being lectured about almost anything he could think of... and now it was his turn to take responsibility for his life and that of his children yet to hatch.

One could muse that Littlefoot would be among the most happy dinosaurs within the walls of the Valley now and yet he found himself standing on top of the walls surrounding it one cloudy and moonless night, not knowing what to do or what to feel, not knowing whether he wanted to live in the same place he grew up anymore for it was so full of happy memories with folks he loved.

Folks that no longer roamed the Valley - or really any place because they were dead.

A light drizzle began to fall from the black skies but Littlefoot hardly noticed it; he hardly noticed anything these days. Of course he had always known that his grandparents weren't as strong as they used to be. Ever since old Thicknose's demise, they were unarguably the oldest and most respected dinosaurs in the Valley, enjoying their last years to their fullest watching him grow-up. It wasn't exactly a shock when his grandma failed to recover from a fever and they had had enough time to prepare for the inevitable. However, it had only been a few days later that his grandfather lay dead in his nest as well. Losing them both so suddenly was simply too much to bear for him at the moment and he could no longer tell whether the drops of water came from the slowly increasing rain or the fact that he was mourning them.

Of course everyone who was close to him and even dinosaurs he hardly knew had tried to talk to him, comfort him and speak their condolences, however he simply didn't want to hear it anymore... as if that would bring them back. Ridiculous! He'd been camping out up here ever since, only telling Ali where he was. The eggs wouldn't hatch yet and in the Valley one needn't supervise a nest at all times so he wasn't exactly neglecting his new duties as a father... and yet he knew that he had to move on eventually but it was just too hard.

The main reason for starting a new family here in the Valley and not elsewhere had been the fact that he had friends and family here whom he didn't want to leave behind if it could be avoided. Although Chomper and Ruby had long since left, Petrie regularly leaving the Valley for weeks at a time, Spike traveling with a herd of Spiketails for a couple seasons and Ducky and Cera dealing with their own families, they were still his best friends and their ties to the Valley weren't severed at all. However, with his grandfather and grandmother gone, who had been just as much part of his life in the Valley as his friends whom he couldn't see quite as much as he used to either...

Well, somehow the Valley wasn't the same anymore. Part of him knew that starting a family of his own would come with a few changes but was this really the same Valley? He just didn't know anymore. Sometimes change was a good thing but right now he'd rather go back in time - go back to when he could still play silly games with his friends and amuse his grandparents with his antics. Yes... if only he could... but, as he heard heavy footsteps behind him, he was subtly reminded that his old life also didn't include the dinosaur he loved more than anything in the world, nor a bunch of eggs...

"Littlefoot?" Ali's voice had matured, naturally, but, somehow, the girl had managed to keep some of the sweetness to adulthood while his own voice had become surprisingly deep. Littlefoot didn't turn around to face her, instead continuing to stare mindlessly into the dark that was the Mysterious Beyond. Nodding ever so slightly, he signaled her that it was alright to approach him which Ali did.

"Isn't the Sky-Water bothering you, dear?" she wondered in a voice that held some concern but, more profoundly, understanding. The dark clouds were actually dumping quite a lot of rain over the Great Valley and the two longnecks by now and a cold, gusty wind was announcing the arrival of a storm.

Littlefoot shrugged mildly before he gave a short reply, failing to hide how much sadness he was holding in his heart.

"Like the trees at our nest can keep this much water away... And, you know, it suits me right now..."

"Because it's hiding your tears?" Ali spoke softly, slowly approaching the grief-stricken young male.

"T-that too, I suppose, but... you know... it-it suits my current mood quite well. I couldn't bear it if the weather were great... At least the sky is mourning with me, you know?"

"You know you can always mourn when you're with me too," Ali said in a quiet, reassuring voice as she settled down next to Littlefoot who readily leaned on. "And you needn't hide your tears from me either, I understand, Littlefoot..."

"I know that alright..." Littlefoot replied with a hint of a sob in his voice and for a while he simply allowed his sadness to roam freely over his body. He could tell that Ali hadn't just made it all the way up there just to console him a little and his suspicion would soon turn out to be spot on, however, after spending days alone like this, he actually welcomed the company and readily embraced the opportunity. Eventually though as the gusty wind turned into a steady, if not too severe windstorm, bombarding both with large raindrops and the occasional hail, Littlefoot was ready to talk.

"A-are the eggs going to be fine in this storm?" he eventually spoke up with a croaky voice as the guilt of his poor fatherly performance came to catch up with him. As a response, he got a tender nuzzle from the female.

"I covered them up with the usual plant materials so they should be fine," Ali answered reassuringly.

"B-but if a tree falls in the storm!" he stammered, suddenly realizing just how much of a risk it was for Ali to be visiting him who was leaving all the work to her. "Y-you probably shouldn't have visited me after all, but I should've... Ali, you're not mad at me, are you? I'm hopeless, aren't I?" Ali's smile only grew wider as the young male spoke.

"Oh Littlefoot, I'm not mad," she said softly. "I'd be mourning myself in your situation. Being a great team sometimes means to rely on one another even if one of us is left with most of the work. I know that you still care dearly about the eggs and I'm sure you'll be ready to return to the nest soon, won't you?"

"I'll try - I mean I should..."

"Eventually, yes," Ali said evasively. "But take your time, dear, I understand." She nuzzled him again.

"Sometimes you're kinder than you should be," Littlefoot muttered but accepted Ali's words nonetheless. The female snickered at his remark for a moment before her expression became a serious one again.

"Another thing, dear. Have you been thinking about the Circle of Life while you've been up here by any chance?"

"The Circle of Life?" Littlefoot repeated. "Why? Is that any important right now?"

"Well..." Ali said and she only barely managed to suppress the urge to tease him about his apparent lack of understanding. "Think about it."

"My head is tired of thinking about stuff to be honest..." Littlefoot said in a disgruntled voice.

"Oh, I can see that," Ali admitted but, nevertheless, this seemed to be important to her. In an act of kindness, she decided to prompt her mate's understanding a little.

"Look, all the things you've been dealing with are undeniably related to the Circle of Life, aren't they?"

"Oh that..." Littlefoot sighed. "To be honest, I never really liked the idea of that Circle. Usually, it's all just a source of grief... Like right now!" A spontaneous surge of anger rose within the young adult but he knew better than to dwell on it. He didn't have the mental strength to begin with so he just slumped and looked down.

"I know you have only one side of the circle on your mind right now but think about it, dear," Ali encouraged him.

"Back then too... when Grandpa was sick, Grandma tried to comfort me by telling me about the almighty Circle but I hated it. It just made me feel worse!"

"I don't want to make you feel worse, Littlefoot, but you're forgetting that the Great Circle doesn't only bring about bad things. Just what do you think is waiting at the nest for us to return?" Ali gently rubbed her head against Littlefoot's who had suddenly gone very quiet.

"The eggs... new life... right..." Suddenly, his body ceased to slurp and his head rose significantly. It suddenly reminded him of a song his grandmother sung to him once, a song about the Circle of Life.

"Took a while," Ali grinned, poking Littlefoot in the side playfully. "Life is really a strange thing. It begins only when two dinosaurs join together, just like that, and it can be over in a blink of an eye."

"But it never stops..." Littlefoot murmured, remembering more and more lines from the song and, after all these years, finally understanding the message his grandmother was trying to pass on back then. "Ali, let's get back to the nest. There's a song I wanna sing to the eggs... and to you of course," he added when Ali gave him a mirthful look.

"That's great news," she cheered, happy to see Littlefoot smile for the first time since losing his grandparents. Whatever memories she had apparently stirred up in him, they had convinced him to quit this episode of solitude and isolation. "See, I was beginning to fret you'd become the Lone Dinosaur now but it looks like I no longer have to worry about it."

"Sorry for worrying you, Ali. You deserve better than that. I'll find a way to..." but Ali cut him short before he could elaborate.

"Quit gabbering you dork," she laughed heartily and, though a little half-hearted, Littlefoot joined in. "Just sing us that song and return to the Littlefoot I fell in love with and you're good."

"I shall! Come on!" With new spirit, Littlefoot and Ali fought their way through the storm and the darkness of the night, climbing back down into the heart of the Great Valley where their nest was built in the middle of a small, secluded forest. By the time they got there, the rainstorm had diminished somewhat and Littlefoot sighed with visible relief when he saw that no tree had decided to topple and fall onto their precious little ones.

"All of them still there, what a relief," Littlefoot sighed as he removed the plant material cover Ali had placed, revealing no less than 8 egg-shaped, white tainted objects resting peacefully within the little hole they had dug.

"Daddy and Mommy are back," Ali cooed as she joined her mate in what had long since become a routine, admiring the sheer beauty of the unborn life slowly developing under their watchful eyes.

"And Daddy has a great song to share tonight. Just you listen!" Littlefoot announced rather cheerfully as he threw a glance towards Ali. "My grandmother sang this to me when my grandfather was sick back when we met. It's all thanks to you, Ali, that I've learned to appreciate the Circle of Life and thus I will pass on the song she left me back then."

Ali simply nodded with a knowing smile, settling down to watch Littlefoot whose glance was directed skywards for a few moments as if reminiscing in a memory. Finally, he turned towards Ali and the eggs, drawing a deep breath before he began to sing in a deep, soothing voice (he'd always have a talent for singing after all).

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_The circle of life  
Is simple yet profound  
A quite straight forward line  
That goes around and round and round_

_It starts at the beginning  
And it will never end  
And that to me  
Must surely be  
Life's secret, my friend_

_For the circle of life  
Continues every day  
None of us can stop it  
From going on its way_

_With each new generation  
One more circle is complete  
On and on and on  
It goes repeating  
Repeating  
Repeating  
Repeating_

_It nurtures the young  
Until they're fully grown  
And soon life's magic circle  
Brings them children of their own_

_The family of nature  
Each husband and wife  
Enhances the circle  
The ever-winding circle  
The wonderful circle of life_

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Once Littlefoot had finished, there was absolute silence in the small forest - even the rain seemed to have stopped and the wind to have calmed as if it had been listening in. Ali's eyes rested on him and her angelic smile couldn't be more sincere and true at that moment.

"Please teach me this song tomorrow, Littlefoot," was all she said before she closed her eyes and fell asleep. Littlefoot smiled at her, nuzzling her sleeping form ever so gently while quietly whispering that he'd teach her indeed. He didn't feel like going to sleep yet, instead musing that the song would probably sound much better when sung as a duet anyway.

Only now he noticed that tears were flowing from his eyes but Littlefoot was happy. It was as if a huge weight was suddenly removed from his body and suddenly the loss of his grandparents didn't seem all that bad anymore. The Circle had taken from him something that was dear to him but just like that it had also bestowed upon him a gift so precious that he valued it above his own life. His old life may be over but, together with Ali, their mutual love and the unborn hatchlings, he was about to start a new life he could be happy with.

All thanks to the mighty Circle of Life.

The sky actually cleared up just then, revealing the usual starry pattern. Littlefoot didn't know why but he suddenly felt two additional stars twinkling at him.

_"Grandma, Grandpa, please watch over me, will you? I'll make sure that the Circle of Life will not break and raise wonderful children until I'm old like you!"_

He obviously didn't say any of this aloud but a peculiar series of twinkles confirmed that he had been heard regardless.

_"Oh, and say hello to mother from me if you see her."_

More twinkles flashed across the sky. Perfectly content, Littlefoot closed his eyes, reminiscing in happy memories until his tiredness finally caught up with him.

"Good night," he whispered, walking back quietly, back to the nest where his new life was awaiting him with open arms. And if there was one thing he could choose to teach his children, it would definitely be the lesson that he only learned on that day.

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**The Circle of Life fits the criteria of sacred belief quite well I think and I hope that you've enjoyed this small story :) **


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